Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival
The 22nd Annual Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival takes place October 6, 7, and 8, 2023, at the Port Angeles City Pier, the Gateway Center and Red Lion Hotel Port Angeles Harbor parking lot in Port Angeles, Washington. Admission is free.
The Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival is said to be one of the country’s most acclaimed seafood festivals, CrabFest celebrates not only the food, aquaculture, agriculture, and maritime traditions of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, but Native American culture, art, music, and children’s activities in one three-day celebration.
Eight tons of fresh Dungeness crab was served in 2022. The freshest crab available, pulled from the Strait of Juan de Fuca, will once again be delivered to the plates of festival-goers under the 15,000-square-foot First Fed Crab Central Tent. Whole crabs averaging two pounds will be served alongside locally-grown corn and cole slaw.
“We’re encouraging festival-goers to purchase their crab dinner tickets online at crabfestival.org for the guaranteed 2022 price of $40.00, $25.00 for a half crab dinner,” says CrabFest Executive Director Scott Nagel. “We will offer crab dinners for on-site purchase at market price, but the cost of seafood has impacted our planning, and there’s a chance we won’t have enough crab for on-site purchase throughout the weekend. Advance tickets guarantee your crab!”
Can’t make the festival? Order online by midnight October 5 and pick-up your chilled Dungeness crab dinner for warming at home for $40.. Curbside pickup is available from Noon – 6 p.m. October 6 and 7.
Food & Beverages
Throughout the grounds, 15 local and regional restaurants will serve everything from fresh Dungeness crab shooters to Caribbean Seafood Stew – more than 30 dishes. Meat and vegetarian dishes will also be available, along with wine, beer, and hard cider.
Live Music
Enjoy an immersive musical experience inside the new Field Hall waterfront theatre. CrabFest dinner ticket holders receive a $5 discount on performances by the Ruth Moody Band and Sammy Miller & The Congregation.
In addition to the Field Hall performances, there will be three live music stages. Activities October 7 include a Welcoming Ceremony sponsored by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, a United States Coast Guard Air and Sea Rescue Demonstration, and a Peninsula College 5K Fun Run. The Crab Gospel Revival is back October 8. More than 70 juried craftspeople, nonprofit, and sponsor booths will exhibit on the pier throughout the festival.
(Photos courtesy of Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival)